ASHENDENE PRESS. TODHUNTER, John. ~ Ye Minutes of Ye CLXXVIIth Meeting of ye Sette of Odd Volumes, extracted from the Diary of Samuel Pepys Esq., M.A., F.R.S., transcribed by Bro. Todhunter, Playwright to ye Sette.
No. 8 of 154 copies. Badge of the Chapman (Hornby) as a device on the upper cover, and that of the Playwright (the author Todhunter) printed just before the first page of text. Printed in Caslon old-style pica on Arnold paper with shoulder notes in Long-primer type. Pp. viii, 32 including a list of the members of ye Sette of Odd Volumes. 12mo., specially bound at the W.H. Smith bindery in full niger, spine in compartments with raised bands, blind-tooled strap and claps design ending in leaf tool and gilt dots, edges ruled in gilt, turn-ins with double gilt fillet with gilt dots in the corners, original wrappers bound in. Housed in a later brown cloth clamshell box. A litle light spotting to the edges of the niger, mainly on the upper cover, otherwise very good.
Of the 154 copies, 97 were for the Brethren of the Sette and their archive, 20 for John Todhunter who wrote it and his friends and 37 for the friends of St. John Hornby, including this one for his great friend Freddy Smith, second Viscount Hambleden and his wife Esther, his partner in the great firm W.H. Smith.
Hornby had the book inscribed “Freddy and Esther Smith from the Printer, 1896” and added in his own hand ‘From C.H. StJ Hornby to”. The book also bears the booklabel of their son, William Henry Smith, third Viscount Hambleden, and was specially bound at the firm’s bindery.
Hornby and Smith became firm friends when they travelled together for a year between 1890 and 1891. In 1892 Smith offered Hornby a partnership in his family firm.
John Todhunter wrote this witty parody of Samuel Pepys's diary and presented it at a meeting of Ye Sette of Odd Volumes. This club had been founded in 1878 by Bernard Quaritch for the purpose of dining, reading papers, criticizing and jesting. It was originally limited to 21 members, corresponding to the 21 volumes of the Variorum edition of Shakespeare published in 1821. By this time there were 21 "supplemental volumes" of which Hornby was one. Each member was expected to deliver a discourse to the 'brethren' and some of these lectures were printed...including this one.
The title page bears the declaration “not to be had of any of Ye Tribe of Booksellers” - until now...